The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.
A rotary biomass dryer provides a low cost alternative to conventional biomass drying which requires significant energy inputs. The rotary biomass dryer requires no external energy, only a motor to rotate the compression auger effectively heating the biomass by compression and friction to generate in-situ steam. Additionally, none of the conventional drying methods can increase the BTU content of biomass material.
Biomass materials, either woody or non-woody, lack the energy density of coal. Therefore, methods have been developed over the years to increase the energy density including Hydrothermal Carbonization (HTC), Ammonia Fiber Explosion (AFEX), torrefaction, and steam explosion. Each of these methods requires significant external energy input to cause an increase in energy density.